The Secrets Revealed
by Alex2490
Summary: Marinette and Adrien have a normal day at school until the earth starts shaking. They transform and find their culprit, but what happens when she takes Adrien? How will they fair with each other's identities?
1. School Birthday

"Mm...mm... What's the time?" Tikki asks as she wakes up. "Marinette?" Marinette wakes up and turns on her iPad.

"School starts in..." she checks the time sleepily "20 minutes ago?" Marinette gets up off of her desk and gets ready for school hurriedly. She rushes out the door and runs to school. Marinette gets to her classroom and enters quietly.

"Where have you been?" Alya whispers as she sits down next to her.

"I slept in" Marinette whispered innocently. Alya made a sure-you-did face but kept quiet. After class, Alya and Marinette go down to the bench they normally sit at.

"Ok, what's bugging you?" Alya asked after a small moment of silence.

"Well..." Marinette started "It's Adrien's birthday tomorrow and I don't know what to get him"

 **Marinette's pov.**

I felt so weird telling Alya my problems. But I need to tell someone. Alya gave me advice and when I got home, I got straight to work. I stayed up late making his present to perfection. This year I was gonna tell him that _I_ made his present. Not his father.

 **The Next Day...**

I wake up and jump out of bed. I can't wait to get the day started. I get dressed, grabbed Adrien's present and rushed out the door without having breakfast. I rushed to school, careful not to be too early or too late. I didn't stop when Alya came to give me confidence.

"I'm going to do it, Alya," I say with confidence "It's now or never"

"Good on you, girl" Alya smiles. I keep walking until I get to Adrien. I go to speak but, as usual, the words refused to reach my mouth. I forced them up.

"Hey, Adrien" I manage to say casually.

"Hey, Marinette. What's up?" Adrien greets me.

"I... uh... made this for you" I hold out a black box with a green ribbon. I didn't even mean to, I was just thinking of Cat Noir at the time. So it was just a coincidence "Happy Birthday"

"Oh... thanks so much" he takes the box with a huge smile on his face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh..." I stutter "Sure?" I say unsurely. Adrien leans in and stops as my ear. I feel very warm and I'm probably blushing.

"Could you meet me at the park after school?" he asks and then leans away.

"Uh... sure... I guess" I smile awkwardly.

"Great" he says happily "See you then" then the bell goes and he walks away.

"You did awesome" Alya shouts, running up to me.

"Yeah" I smile.

"What did he tell you?" she asks curiously

"Well... he wants me to meet him at the park after school" I say weirdly.

"Wow" Alya hugs me, obviously excited "Are you gonna go?"

"Alya! What kind of question is that? Of course I'm going. Why wouldn't I?" I say very quickly.

"Ok, ok" Alya laughs "By the way, what did you get him" I giggle.

"I'll tell you tomorrow" we walk into class and take our seats. The new girl, Lavender, is in a seat up the back. I smile and wave at her and she smiles back. I can't wait to say hello to her become her friend.

 **After school...**

Today couldn't have gone better. Lavender was now my friend, but she likes Adrien... Like Lila, she went to the library with him. I eavesdropped on them (I know I shouldn't have, but I just couldn't help myself). She's exactly like Lila, lying and all. But one thing about her is different... She's my friend. No doubt she'll get Akumatized, but Cat Noir and I will be there to stop her when she eventually does.

"Hey, mom" I say happily when I get home.

"Hi, Marinette" she smiles. "You were in a rush this morning"

"Oh... um... yeah" I stutter embarrassingly "It's Adrien's birthday today and I wanted to give him his present before he got into class"

"Oh, cool" my mom says.

"And... Can I meet Adrien at the park?" I ask

"Of course, Marinette" she says "Have fun"

"I will" I wave behind me as I rush out the door. I walk slowly to the park, just to make sure I'm not early. But he's already there.

"Hey, Marinette" Adrien greets me as I enter the park and sit down on a bench next to him.

"Hey, Adrien" I smile at him


	2. The Unexplained Natural Disaster

Adrien and I talk about school and his birthday. He seems pretty happy. I let him talk most of the time because the words could hardly ever come to my mouth. Just as six o'clock dawn on me, I regrettably have to tell him that I need to go. "It's alright, Marinette," he says putting a hand on my shoulder, he obviously realises how much I regret telling him that "See you tomorrow" We get up, but suddenly, the ground shakes. I grip onto the bench to keep me steady and Adrien does the same. After two minutes, the shaking stops. "What was that?" Adrien asks.

"I have no clue," I say without thinking "I'd better go and see if my family is alright"

"Alright, same here" he rushes off. I run home and rush in the door. Nothing has changed since I left except for the customers and my mother's working instead of my father. I try to calm myself down and walk past my mother, but she stops me.

"Marinette?" she asks

"Yes?" I stop

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, just tired"

"Alright then. Off you go" I went up to my room, relieved my dad didn't stop me. I went straight to bed without even thinking."Good night, Tikki," I say tiredly to my kwami.

"Good night, Marinette," Tikki says in her high-pitched voice.

 **In the morning...**

"Good morning, Marinette," Tikki says as I wake up and stretch.

"Good morning, Tikki" I yawned as I dragged myself out of bed. I got dressed slowly and went downstairs. "Morning, mom," I wave as I leave the house. I didn't have breakfast, I didn't really think about it. As I walk to school, I started to wake up a little bit. I got to school and Alya came up to me. I've been wanting to talk to her about the sudden earthquake last night.

"Hey, Marinette" Alya greets me, smiling.

"Hey, Alya," I say quietly "I've been wanting to talk to you"

"Cool... me too," Alya says happily.

"You go first" I offer

"Thanks" she gets out her phone and turns it on. "I got an interview with Lavender yesterday afternoon. She said she'd been saved by Ladybug loads of times and she's even friends with her... Isn't that great?" she shows me her phone and plays a video. The video shows Lavender talking about Ladybug.

"Ladybug has saved me loads of times" she brags "And we're like this" she crosses her fingers and the video ends. If only she would stop lying like Lila had.

"I've posted it up on the LadyBlog so people can watch it and know that Ladybug actually has real friends" Alya explains

"Cool," I try to sound excited "Can I talk to you about last night?"

"Sure," she says, focusing on turning off her phone.

"Did you feel the earthquake last night?" I asked. Alya put her phone in her pocket and stares at me in shock.

"There was an earthquake last night?" she asks in excitement. I sigh. I knew that she wouldn't have known. No one, except Adrien and I, knows about the earthquake. It's so weird.

"Oh... nevermind" I wave my hand, dismissing the subject. Just then, Adrien's car shows up and he jumps out and waves to the car as it drives away. He then turns and waves at me. I try to wave as casually as I can. Adrien smiles and then walks over to Nino. I watch as Lavender walks out of the school, her long blonde hair flowing behind her as she walks towards us really fast.

"Hey, guys," she says when she's just a few steps away. I smile.

"Hey, Lavender" I wave. Alya just waves. "What's up?" I ask

"Nothing much" she says casually "But... I do have this sort of crush" she lowers her voice.

"Oh my gosh" Alya jumped with joy "Who is it? Tell us, tell us"

"Well..." she whispers "Adrien" I froze. Adrien? The guy I have a crush on? But how? Why her? She's so much more mature than I am and so much more prettier. Adrien could easily fall for her. I'm freaking out so much that I can't talk. I mean, I know that she likes him but, I never knew that she liked him this much. So much that she would tell friends. Us. Even though I knew, I couldn't help freaking out silently.

"Marinette?" Alya shakes me, but I take no notice "Are you alright? Marinette?"

"I need to go" I say without thinking "Sorry" I run off into the school, suddenly aware of the tears in my eyes. I run to the bathroom and lock myself in a cubicle. I know this is 7th grade stuff, but I can't stand someone prettier than me liking Adrien. When the bell rings, I stand up, unlock the door and walk over to a sink. I splash my face with water so that no one knows I've been crying. Then I walk out and go to class.

"Where have you been?" Alya whispers as I sit down next to her. I just ignore her and pay attention to the teacher. "Ok, we'll talk at lunch. By the way, we told Adrien you were upset for some reason and he went looking for you" For the first time since I walked into class, I notice that Adrien's not in his seat. "He's worried about you, Marinette"

"Alya" Ms Bustier calls her name "No speaking in class. You know the rules"

"Sorry, Ms Bustier," Alya says and she doesn't speak to me for the rest of the lesson.

 **After School...**

Adrien never showed up to the first class, but he did turn up to the rest. He wanted to talk to me, but I didn't feel like talking to anyone.

"Marinette" Adrien calls out. I'm sitting on a bench in front of the canal. Adrien comes running down the stairs, but I just ignore him. "Marinette" he calls again, but he's closer this time. I look away, but I'm still unable to control my bubbling emotion that I feel in my chest every time I'm near him. "Marinette please" his voice comes from right beside me now. I bite my lip to stop myself from smiling because, after all, he is still my biggest crush.

"Marinette please" he repeats "You need to talk to someone" At his words, I stand up and turn to him.

"No... I don't" I say and manage a straight face. Then I turn and stalk away, a smile forces its way up to my mouth and I bite my lip again. I go straight home and up to my room, greeting my parents on the way so they don't get suspicious. I put my bag down on my chair and flop down the bed that's on the floor. A few minutes later, someone knocks on my bedroom door.

"Marinette?" my mother calls "Can I come in?"

"Uh... sure, mom" I call back from my bed and I sit up. My mother climbs up and into my room, then she walks over to the bed and sits in front of me.

"There's someone here to see you," she says gently.

"Who?" I ask, not out of curiosity but out of shock.

"Would you like me to send them up?" she asks

"Who?" I repeat my question, with the same tone of voice.


	3. A Special Visit From Someone

My mother leaves.

"You can go up" I hear her from downstairs "I'll just warn you that she is a little bit snippy when she's angry or upset" I hear the creak in my loose floorboard and turn away from the noise. I don't want to talk to anyone right now, I want to be on my own. I then feel the mattress flop down at the end of my bed.

"Hey, Marinette," a familiar voice says. Adrien's voice. I might as well talk to him. I don't want him to get the impression that I don't like him. I turn and face him. Trying to make my face as straight as possible without adding any emotion. "Please... Tell me what's wrong" he puts a hand on my shoulder and I can't stop the swelling in my chest. It makes it hard to breathe sometimes and it only happens when I'm around Adrien. It's weird. I manage to keep a straight face, except it goes into a sort of sad state. I look down and then back up at him. Then I shake my head.

"You'll laugh at me" I whisper sadly.

"I promise I won't" he promises.

"And then you will" I promise him sadly. I hang my head, but then something happens. The whole room shakes. I fall off the bed and onto the floor and Adrien thumps down onto the floor after me. I land on my stomach, knocking the wind out of myself. The shaking stops and nothing in the room has moved. Still unable to breathe, I get up off of the floor and sit down on my bed. I try to catch my breath but nothing works. It gets to a point where I feel dizzy.

"Marinette?" Adrien asks, getting off the floor "Are you alright?" I shake my head and then feel my face turn red. I'm unable to breathe properly, but I can't say that because I can't form words. "What's wrong?" I lay down slowly on my side and try to breathe slowly. "Marinette. What's wrong?" his face looks worried and his voice sounds panicky. What do I do to let him know that I can't talk? I open my mouth to try to speak, but nothing comes out. What do I do? I have no clue. I can't breathe, I feel dizzy, I have no clue how this could happen like this. I've had the wind knocked out of me before, but it didn't take this long to start breathing again. Adrien doesn't talk for a while, just sits there with a worried look on his face. He sits me up and rubs my back. It helps and I eventually start to breathe again. I gulp down huge lungfuls of air. I start to cough and then Adrien leaves in a rush. He comes back up with a glass of water. Why is he being so nice? He's usually never this nice. I drink the water and try to calm down.

"Are you alright?" Adrien asks, a bit less worried.

"I think so," I say breathlessly.

"Just calm down and breathe" he instructs calmly. I nod my head and do as he says. How hard could this be?

 **A few moments later...**

I must've fallen asleep because, when I open my eyes, the light coming in from the window is dim. Adrien is still in my room, but he's talking on the phone.

"But why?... No, she needs a friend... I can't leave her on her own" he talks into the phone. I assume he's talking to his father and about me. "But I want to take care of her myself... Please father... No, no I... Please" he's begging now. But one thing I don't understand, why is he helping me? "No, it's fine. Her mother said... Oh..." his face turned sad. I stand up, off of the bed and walk across the room over to him. I guess I shouldn't be shy anymore. Why was I even shy before? Because I was afraid of saying the wrong thing. I hold out my hand for the phone, but he puts up his index finger. Telling me to wait. I try to wait patiently as he tries to talk his father into letting him stay. "Oh please, father... No, no. It's only for one night... Please, I swear... Fine, if it makes you feel better, then Nathalie can come pick me up tomorrow afternoon... Ok, ok... Morning then... But, why... Ok, Marinette wants to talk to you... Ok, then" he hands me the phone.

"Hello," I speak into the phone.

"Hello, Marinette," Mr. Agreste says in his deep voice "You seem to be fine. Adrien has told me you hurt yourself"

"Yes, I did, but I feel better now and..." I try to explain, but he cuts me off.

"Well, then if you feel better. I guess my son won't be staying at your house tonight" he says seriously.

"I want him to stay" I look at Adrien to his reaction. He looks shocked at my words and I smile at him. "And I also need him to stay, just so that my mom doesn't have to check on me every time..." he cuts me off again.

"I see. You want my son to do all the hard work for your mom" he explains things incorrectly for me.

"No, no. He'll be in the room with me" I explain

"Ok, then. He can stay. But for _one_ night only and he'll be picked up in the morning. Have you got that, Miss Dupain-Cheng?"

"Yes, sir" I agree formally.

"Ok, then. Goodbye" and then the line cuts off. I give the phone back to Adrien and he turns it off, knowing that his father has hung up.

"What did he say?" he asks curiously.

"He said that you could stay one night only and you'll be picked up in the morning" I explain to him. He nods and smiles.

"I'm glad he actually let me stay over"

"Yeah" I agree quietly.

"So... um... One question" he says suddenly

"Of course" I nod my head.

"What's with all the pictures of me all over your room?" he asks casually. I look around my room and feel my cheeks go red. Drat! I completely forgot that I had pictures of him all over my room. I return to my shy state again.

"Oh... um... it's a Science project" I lie.

"Ok, cool" he doesn't question and I'm relieved that he doesn't. I sigh and lie back down on my bed. I'm still exhausted and I need to sleep some more. "You get some rest, upright," he says, walking across the room to me. He sits on the bed.

"Where are you going to sleep?" I ask, suddenly upright. I get up and start to gather blankets and pillows. He giggles and then I remember my bed on the top of my desk. I mentally facepalm and start to put the blankets and pillows back. "You can sleep up there" I point to the bed above my desk and he nods. I lie back down, but he doesn't move. He starts to rub my arm and it helps me get to sleep.

 **In the Morning...**

I open my eyes and check my clock. It's only 9 o'clock in the morning. I'm glad I slept in. I usually don't sleep in on weekends. I get out of bed and walk to my desk. I sit in my chair and turn on my computer. I have 2 new emails from Alya. I check them, but they're just reminders to check the LadyBlog. I notice that Adrien isn't in bed, but his phone is. I call his father.

"Hello. Has Nathalie came to pick up Adrien yet?" I ask

"No. Why?" he asks

"Ok, thanks. Bye" I say ignoring his question and hanging up the phone. I rush the downstairs and fall right into him. He breaks my fall by catching me.

"Careful," he says pulling me upright.

"Thanks," I say, scratching the back of my neck.


	4. Similar Akumatized Girl

The rest of the day was fun. I guess hanging out with Adrien isn't so bad. He never got picked up, and we never called to find out why.

I sit on my bed and sigh. Adrien left about an hour ago and then I had dinner. It's about 9 o'clock at night, and I can't get to sleep. I keep thinking about today and what it brought.

 **The Next Day...**

I wake up and find Tikki sitting on my desk.

"Morning, sleepy head," she says.

"Morning" I yawn. I get dressed and go downstairs to make breakfast. I eat my breakfast in silence, with Tikki still up in my room. My mother comes and greets me, good morning. After breakfast, I go upstairs to get Tikki.

"I'm going to the park, Mom," I say to her as I come downstairs from my room.

"Ok," she says "Have a nice day, sweetie," I wave to her as I walk out of the door. I head to the park and sit down behind Adrien's cover-shoot. I watch as he poses and the cameraman takes photos of him. I can't wait to see what they look like. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot something purple on top of the school's roof. I look over and see someone with lavender hair and purple dress with black leggings. Just then, Alya appears out of nowhere.

"Hey, girl," she says happily.

"Hey" I greet her, my attention still focused on the girl in the purple dress. She looks akumatized. "I'm sorry, Alya, I have to go."

"Oh, ok," she says a little bit shocked "See you around" I stand and wave as run away from her. I find an abandoned alley and hide there.

"Are you alright, Marinette?" Tikki asks me.

"I'm fine, Tikki" I assure her. "There's just something I wanna check out."

"Ok," she says.

"Tikki spots on" I yell as my hand brushes past my ear. I transform into Ladybug and follow the girl.

"Hello, Ladybug," she says when I land on the school roof.

"Who are you?" I ask curiously and I stand up straight.

"That's for me to know and you to find out" she laughs loudly. She then runs away. Just then, Cat Noir lands next to me.

"Nice to see you, M'lady" he greets "It looks like we've got a bug to catch" I try to ignore his pun and nod. We run after her, jumping over chimneys and streets. She doesn't stop and I eventually get tired, but I keep running. Cat Noir doesn't look tired and he's running at the same speed as he was when we started following 'Mystery Girl'. She eventually stops and turns around.

"Ugh," she says in disgust "It's _Cat Noir_ ," she says to herself.

"And here I thought everyone liked me" he tries to flirt.

"Cat Noir" I demand "Stop it. Who are you?" I ask the girl. She laughs again and turns, but I catch her wrist with my yo-yo. She laughs again. She waves her hand and a few missiles appear. I'm suddenly frightened.

"You'd better let go or I'll let these missiles fire at you" she laughs. She looks very happy with her plan.

"Ladybug" Cat Noir calls "Do as she says" he demands. I want to, but I don't want her to get away. I close my eyes, so I can think. When I open my eyes, she's gone. I take a step back to get a good boost in my run. When I put a foot forward to start running, I feel a force in my wrist pull me back, stopping me from running.

"Cat Noir. What are you doing?" I ask turning around.

"Don't go after her. She'll do the same thing again" he explains. I stop and he lets go.

"You're right" I hang my head "What do we do?"


	5. Mystery Revealed

There's a scream coming from below. Cat Noir jumps down off of the building, and I follow him. People everywhere are falling and screaming. What is happening?

"What's going on?" Cat Noir asks, speaking my thoughts. I spot the Mystery Girl again, on top of a building, holding her hand out. It's like she's creating something out of nowhere. She laughs and then runs off once she see's that I've spotted her. She's heading for Adrien's house. Suddenly a little scared, I run off toward the house as well.

"Where are you going?" Cat Noir asks me immediately.

"She's heading for Adrien's house" I explain "I want to catch her before she gets there" He nods.

"I'll try to help people here" he volunteers. I nod in agreement and follow her. When I get to Adrien's house, I find she's already there and with Adrien. What could she possibly want with Adrien? Out of curiosity and protectiveness, I jump into Adrien's room from the open window.

"L - Ladybug," Adrien says in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"No time to explain," I say quickly and then I turn my attention to Mystery Girl. She laughs softly, but an evil laugh this time.

"I guess you've caught me, Ladybug," she says, still smiling her evil smile. And the way she said my name is like she's trying to make it sound like a curse. "I am..." she stops to think for a bit and then a pink glowing mask appears on her face then disappears just as quickly as it appeared. "Fantasy Vision," she says in a velvet-like voice.

"What do you want?" I ask

"I want to show Adrien here" - she holds out her hand and gestures to Adrien - "how much of a liar I really am" And then I realize something. She has been akumatized.

"Who are you?" I ask again

"I'll give you a clue," she says teasingly "I'm the new girl" I instantly know from that who she is.

"Lavender?" I ask in shock. She laughs.

"Yes, but I'm not Lavender anymore. I'm Fantasy Vision," she repeats. She turns toward Adrien, and I jump in front of them, protecting Adrien.

"Adrien" I instruct "Go hide... Quickly" I say when he doesn't move. Adrien runs off to hide in the bathroom. Fantasy Vision waves her hand and more of her appear. How can that happen? Just then, Cat Noir jumps in through the window.

"Wow!" he says in shock "She's multiplied"

"I don't think she has," I say thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Cat Noir asks.

"Watch" I throw my yo-yo at Fantasy Vision and all but one disappears.

"Illusions," it's not a question.

"Like Volpina," I say angrily. Fantasy Vision laughs again.

"Yes, but those were _only_ illusions" she explains "I can make reality happen"

"Adrien?" I hear a muffled voice come from the door. It's Mr. Agreste. Cat Noir and I stare at the door in horror. How are we going to get Fantasy Vision out of Adrien's room? We turned back to her, but she's gone. Out of the window. She has Adrien as well. I horror of what she might do, I follow her.

"Wait, M'lady" Cat Noir grabs my wrist again.

"What?" I ask a little annoyed

"Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"What?" I repeat, but in a different tone "There was no last time" I think back to the time we faced Volpina and then back to what Fantasy Vision said. _I can make reality happen too._ It could be the real Adrien.

"Yes... there was" he argues.

"Stop it, Cat Noir" I demand "You're being ridiculous" I snatch my hand back and run after them. I'm horrified to _think_ about what she could do to him. I followed her all the way up to the Eiffel Tower. When I get there, I find her at the top of the tower. She's going to drop him. I go halfway up the tower before she almost drops him. I stop in horror. Suddenly, Cat Noir's at my side, looking up at Fantasy Vision.

"Give me your Miraculous or Adrien dies" she demands. I'm suddenly filled with a new kind of horror. I can't quite tell what it is and I don't have time to find out.

"You're bluffing" Cat Noir denies.

"You wanna test that theory?" she asks evilly.

"No!" I yell immediately "Stop. Fine" I say "You get what you want. Just don't hurt him"

"Ladybug. No. Don't do that" Cat Noir demands as I take off one earring. I change back to Marinette. I slip and start to fall, but Cat Noir catches me by my wrist. "Marinette?" he asks in shock.

"I'm sorry," I say as I take off my other earring "If this is what you want, then take them. Now let him go"

"Marinette, no" Cat Noir yells as I throw my Miraculous up to Fantasy Vision.

"As you wish," she says evilly "Oopsie, my hand slipped" she drops Adrien as she catches my Miraculous.

"NO! ADRIEN!" I scream. I reach up for his hand and…


	6. With or Without The Mask

"NO! ADRIEN!" I scream. I reach up for his hand, and it slips past mine. He's too far away to reach. "NO! ADRIEN!" I scream louder.

"It's just an illusion, Marinette" Cat Noir says as he pulls me up into an open spot in the tower.

"No" I sob.

"Marinette - " Cat Noir starts, but I cut him off. He puts an arm around my waist from behind me as he pulls me up.

"Let me go! You can still save him! Save him" I beg him.

"It's not real" he denies. I refuse to believe him. It seemed so real. I can't bear it. I look down and close my eyes.

"...A - Adrien..." I sob more. Tears start to fall out of my eyes and down the Eiffel Tower. Cat Noir pulls me up more, and I sit on my knees. Looking down, I put my hands on my face and start silently crying, even more, sobbing even more. "Adrien" I repeat. I feel Cat Noir's hand on my shoulder.

"Marinette?" But I don't let him finish. I slap his hand away from me and sit with my legs held up against my chest.

"Why didn't you save him?" I scream, accusing him. "You should've saved him... Not me" I want my life to end. To bring Adrien back. Why couldn't Cat Noir save Adrien instead of me? I don't understand why I'm more important to him than Adrien. "Adrien... I'm so sorry" I sob again. I feel Cat Noir's hands on me again.

"Marinette? Look at me. Please," he begs. I slap his hand again.

"Leave me alone, Cat Noir" I turn away from him.

"Marinette, listen," says murmurs. I feel his hand on my chin. "I know that wasn't the real Adrien..." he pauses, and I hear a soft ' _WHOOSH!_ '. "Because I'm right here..." he lifts my chin, and I feel his smooth skin. "Hi, Marinette" I feel a shock run through me as I see Adrien right in front of me. This isn't real. I know it. I can feel it. "Surprise?" he rubs the back of his neck, and I feel my tears rush to his hand. I grab his wrist and push him away.

"STOP!" I yell and then I make my voice quieter but still a quiet shout "Go away! I'm sick of illusions" I turn away from his shocked face and close my eyes. I feel more tears rush down my face like waterfalls. My knees are drenched in them, but I take no notice as I screw up my face to let them fall more quickly.

"But, Marinette. I'm not an illusion" he denies "Please, open your eyes... It's ok, I promise..." I can't bring myself to do it. I need help, but I can't help but feel like he is an illusion. I feel his hand on my back, and I slowly open my eyes. "Now, I know you're scared, but please, look down..." he instructs me. As much as I don't want to, I look down the Eiffel Tower. "Do you see Adrien down there?" he asks softly.

"N - no" I answer back. I'm still sorrowful, and the tears just keep coming.

"That's because it was a fake" he explains "But me..." he grabs my hand and places it against his chest. "I'm the real deal... See?" I feel his heart pumping softly in his chest, and I instantly feel stupid for my decisions. "Would I lie to you, Bugaboo?" he asks teasingly and smiles. Feeling stupid and dumb, I fling myself at him and fold my arms around his neck. I feel him squeeze me tightly in return. He then pushes me away gently. "Well! Now that we've cleared that up, I'll be right back. I've got a bug to catch..." he winks "And some earrings to retrieve" he brushes my cheek and a tear away. "Stay here, M'lady" he kisses the top of my head. "Plagg claws out" he transforms and jumps away. I feel my face getting hotter and redder by the minute. I think of how he saved me all those times to different akumatized villains like Timebreaker and Dark Cupid. I think of how he fell out of the freezer when Lady Wi-Fi locked him in there and how I held him on my lap, worried about him. I think of how he made that smile when I told him we couldn't stay stuck in the bubble together forever and how he saved me from the time bubbles. I think of how I saved him from the lightning hitting him and him landing on top of me. I think of how he leaned in closer to me when I suggested a different way of getting us out of the cube cage. And then I think of something I would never think of us doing. Something that he would never volunteer to do unless he knew I was Ladybug. I think of that time when he sacrificed himself to Dark Cupid, and I had to kiss him to save him. If I had have known _then_ that he is Adrien, I bet the kiss would've been longer. I'm shocked to the point where I collapse onto my back and stay there. Cat Noir comes back and gives me my earrings.

"Tikki spots on" I yell, and I transform. Because I know how much of a pain Fantasy Vision can be, I decide to use my Lucky Charm just in case. "Lucky Charm" I yell, and I throw my yo-yo up in the air. A small mirror falls from the sky, and I catch it. "A mirror? What am I supposed to do with this?" I ask myself.

"We'll find out, " Cat Noir says, putting a hand on my shoulder. I know, and we jump up to the top of the tower.

 **A few moments later...**

I shine the mirror in between the sun and Fantasy Vision. It blinds her, and I take her pin. It looks like some flower. Maybe there's a different group of Miraculous? Or maybe it's just something Hawkmoth or Lavender decided to make up. I crush it beneath my foot, and an Akuma flies out.

"Time to de-civilize" I yell as I spin my yo-yo. I catch the Akuma in my yo-yo as if it was a butterfly net. "Gotcha!" I stand up straight and tap the top of my yo-yo. It opens up and lets the butterfly out. "Bye, bye, little butterfly" a white butterfly flies out. "Miraculous Ladybug" I yell as I throw the mirror up in the air. Ladybugs fly around everywhere and clean up the damage, including fixing the lavender pin. They disappear, and I look over at Cat Noir.

"Pound it," we both say at the same time as we fist bump. I help Lavender up.

"I'm sorry you got Akuma apologize for what I couldn't stop."

"Oh nevermind," she says disgusted "Chloè was right... We'll never be friends" Chloè? Why was she listening to Chloè? Before I could ask, she runs off. I hang my head.

"Well... you wanna talk somewhere?" Cat Noir asks. I nod. We go to my house and sit on the balcony. I change back to Marinette and he changes back to Adrien after me.

"What a day, huh? Definitely not how I would imagine it would go... Right, Marinette?" he asks my opinion. I keep quiet, still unable to get rid of the guilt I feel deep inside me. I could only hope it's not going to be permanent. "Hey... A - are you disappointed it was me?" I look at him and his face looks sad. How could he think that way? Who doesn't like him? But then again... Who would've thought that Cat Noir was Adrien? They just seem so different. I suddenly feel shocked by his words.

"Really? Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed? It just turns out that my partner, all this time, was this incredible nice, smart, handsome boy who I had the biggest crush on at school and is just so perfect and god now I'm rambling" I say really quickly. I don't even think about what comes out of my mouth until after I say it. Immediately after I say this, I wish I had've thought about my words more carefully. I feel really embarrassed and stupid and clumsy, like I always am. "And me? I just... I messed up so bad. I caused an akuma. I gave up my Miraculous. I nearly got myself killed" I blame myself "Under the mask, I'm just this rash, careless, clumsy girl..." I hang my head "I'm probably not the Ladybug you expected"

"Hmm," Adrien says thoughtfully. "Brave? Check. Witty? Check. Amazing? Check. Righteous? Check. Selfless? Check. Beautiful? Oh boy, check. Talented? Check. Kind? Check,"

"What are you doing?" I ask curiously because I am really curious to know what he's doing.

"Curious? Check," he winks "Adorable freckles? Definitely, check. I'm describing Ladybug, using the exact same words I would use to describe you, Marinette. Because you see..." he puts one hand on my shoulder and one lightly under my chin. "With or without that mask, it's just the same person underneath. It's this incredibly kind hearted, beautiful, smart girl. Whether she wears a red suit or a white, flower-printed shirt," He rubs the back of his neck, still with one hand on my shoulder. "And well, I'm just here wondering if she also likes the boy in the black leather get up with the cat puns..."

"Adrien..." I smile at him. Suddenly, Tikki appears out of nowhere.

"Well, of course, she does," Tikki says a-matter-of-factly "She has your face plastered all over her bedroom walls"

"Tikki," I yell at her "You don't just go and say things like that" she giggles and I immediately feel embarrassed. "Yeah, uh, about that um... there's some magazine clippings but... that - that's - " Adrien starts laughing and I feel hurt by the way he laughs.

"No, no, no! I'm not laughing _at_ you, Marinette," he apologizes "It's just... here" he pulls me in towards him. "I'll tell you a little secret, okay?" I nod. "I have ladybug action figures" he whispers

"You mean dolls?" I hear someone else whisper. Before I can ask, Adrien's answering the voice.

"No, action figures. There's a difference. Shut up, Plagg," he whispers and a snicker comes from nowhere, but I ignore it.

"What? Really?" I say excitedly.

"Yep," he assures me "Including, the very rare, limited edition articulated one with the spinning LED yo-yo"

"What? No way. I don't think even Chloè or Alya have that one," I giggle. I hear him say something, but I couldn't make it out because he's so quiet. He puts his hand on top of mine.

"Marinette," he says softly "I'm glad it was you" he smiles at me and I smile back. My heart is thumping in my chest. I have no idea what's going to happen next, but he pulls me forward and wraps my arms around him. He presses his lips against mine and kisses me. I kiss him back, hoping he can't hear my heart trying to force its way out of my chest.


	7. You Only Get One Chance

"I can't go to school today, Tikki," I tell my kwami. "It's just too embarrassing."

"Marinette, you need to toughen up," Tikki says gently "You need to face your fears and, who knows? It could be better than you think. You only get one chance."

"You're right, Tikki," I try to toughen up "Whether he's told everyone or not. I need to toughen up" I nod to myself and stand up off of my chair. I'm already ready to go to school; the only thing left to do is walk out the door. When I get to the door of the bakery, I stop, a little nervous. I walk out and walk around the corner. I lean against the wall of the shop. I'm too nervous to move just yet.

"Come on, Marinette," Tikki says from my little purse that I keep around my shoulder at all times unless I'm in my room. I make myself walk casually up to the school.

"Hey, Marinette," Adrien yells and waves. I wave and walk over to him.

"H - Hey, Adrien," I stutter a little.

"Are you alright?" he asks. His voice is worried, and I don't want to bother him even more.

"I'm fine" I assure him.

"You're such a bad liar, Marinette," he explains. Damn me and my bad lying. "What's up?"

"I'm having trouble coping," I say, hanging my head. "It's a bit harder for me to be around you when I know who you are."

"Oh, Marinette," he says putting a hand on my shoulder "There's nothing to worry about... really" I brighten up a bit at his words and then he hugs me. I hug him back, and I feel him kiss my head. I smile. I close my eyes and hug him a little bit tighter. The bell rings, and we go to class.

"I'll be right back," I say to Adrien and then run to the girls bathroom. I turn on the tap and splash my face with water.

"Are you alright, Marinette?" Tikki asks worried, as she flies out of my purse.

"Truth?" I ask "Not really. But I need to be."

"Yes, Marinette" Tikki smiles "That's the spirit" she flies back into my purse as I walk out of the bathroom. I walk into, the not yet started, class. I find that Nino is in my seat and as I walk in him and Alya giggle. The seat next to Adrien is vacant, but so is the seat next to Lavender. Before I could decide, Sabrina sits down next to Lavender. I walk over to Adrien, but just as I'm about sit down, Chloè steps in front of me and sits down.

"This is my seat," she says rudely "Find your own."

"Chloè," I complain "I was going to sit there."

"Well, too bad. I'm sitting here now" she says turning her head towards Adrien. I look at him and hang my head.

"Actually Chloè," Adrien says, "I think Marinette was going to sit here. You need to learn some respect" Chloès face lights up with surprise and then anger.

"Fine then," she says angrily. Chloè gets up and stomps to the back of the classroom, where the only other seat available is. I sit down next to Adrien.

"Thank you" I smile at him.

"You're welcome, Marinette," Adrien says and puts a hand on my back. I look down at the floor and then back up at him.

 **After Class...**

"Marinette?" Adrien calls. I spin around and see him out the front of the school waving at me. I wave back and smile. He beckons to me and I walk up to him.

"What's up?" I ask him happily.

"Um... well..." he stutters. He's exactly like me before we found out. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to the dance with me?"

"What? Dance?" I ask shocked.

"Uh... yeah," he says quickly and then slows down. "It's this weekend and I have no one to go with"

"Sure," I say "But no one told me"

"Alya was going on about it in class"

"I guess I wasn't paying attention then" I giggle.

"Yeah" he smiles "I'm glad I asked you. After all... You only get once chance" That reminds me of what Tikki said this morning. _You need to face your fears and, who knows? It could be better than you think. You only get one chance._ That makes me giggle. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Of course," I say as he gets into his car. "Bye," I say as he closes the door. I see him wave as the car drives away.


	8. Choosing a Dress

I sit down in my chair.

"I don't know what to do, Tikki" I complain as she sits on the desk in front of me "I don't have a dress or anything."

"Maybe you could make one?" Tikki suggests.

"Maybe" I agree, getting out my sketch book. I open it to a picture of 2 people. "I don't want to go as Ladybug, though. I want to have fun the way I am. Marinette style."

"Well then make the pink dress then," Tikki says.

"Yeah," I agree "Should I make it a different color?"

"If you like" Tikki shrugs.

"What color?" I ask, really muddled up in my favorite colors.

"Maybe, either red or blue?" Tikki suggests.

"Yeah" I agree, understanding what she means. "Red for Ladybug or blue as my favorite color."

"Exactly," she says excitedly.

After what seems like hours, which it probably was, I managed to sketch up multiple designs.

"Which one do you think?" I ask Alya the next day at school.

"Um..." she says having a look through my sketchbook again. I drew a lot of dresses last night and I can't choose. I don't think Alya can either. "This one" she says suddenly. She points to a blue dress with sequences from the waist up. It's a short dress and I think it looks cool.

"Awesome," I say excitedly "I'll start making it as soon as I get home. I've got the shoes and everything"

"Awesome" Alya says "Who are you going with?" I giggle

"You'll see" I tease

"Oh, come on, Marinette" she follows me as I walk away "You know how I hate surprises"

"Yep. That's why you're waiting" I giggle. We walk into class and, as suspected, Nino's in my usual seat. I make a face at him and sit down next to Adrien.

"Hi" he says, as I sit down.

"Hi" I smile. I reach down into my bag and grab out my tablet. Adrien does the same. "I want to show you something" I say turning on my tablet. I tap on an icon and give it to Adrien. A video plays. Once it's over he gives me back my tablet.

"That was so cool" he smiles.

"Thanks. I animated it myself. It was about a dream I had the other night. It took a while to animate let alone write a script and everything" I explain. Adrien pulls me into a hug.

"It was amazing and the more time and effort put into it... the better it is" Adrien hugs me tighter as I wrap my arms around him. I look up at Nino and Alya. I see that they have their hands over their mouths and looking at each other. They look like they're about to explode with excitement. I smile and dismiss the subject as Adrien lets go and Ms. Bustier walks in the room. Class begins when she puts up her hand to silence the class.

 **After School...**

I walk home after another long day at school and go up to my bedroom. I put my bag down on my bed and take off my purse. I open it up and Tikki flies out.

"Hello, Marinette" she says.

"Hey, Tikki" I say as I put the purse down on the desk. I sit down on my chair and spin around, a little bit bored. I suddenly remember that I have to make that dress. I take out my sketch book, sewing machine and sewing kit. I get to work right away.

"What are you making?" Tikki asks as she sits down on my desk.

"A dress" I say looking up from my work. "I need a dress for the ball, remember?"

"Oh, yes" she smiles widely "Which one are you doing" she asks looking at all of the drawings on my page.

"This one" I point to the one Alya said she wanted to see earlier in the day.

"I think that one will suit you" she says kindly

"Thanks, Tikki" I smile "That's very kind of you"


	9. The Dance

"Can you believe that Adrien asked me?" I ask Tikki later in the day. Tikki woke up earlier feeling a bit sick, but she says she feels better now. She certainly looks it. She giggles as I dance around the room.

"Marinette" she giggles "You should save your energy for the dance" I flop down on my bed backwards

"You're right" I smile at her.

"It's almost time" Tikki beams, looking at the clock. At her words, I instantly feel nervous again, but more excited than I was. "It's alright, Marinette."

"I know" I try to breathe deeply.

"You should get ready" Tikki looks at my dress, still hanging on the mannequin. I look over at it and smile.

"Yeah," I say excitedly. I get into my dress, put on my gloves and fix up my hair. I put Tikki in my purse, put it on and go downstairs.

"Have fun, Marinette," my mom chirps as I walk out the door.

"I will, Mom," I promise. I wave to my parents as I close the door. I wait for Adrien to come like he said he would. A few minutes later, his limo pulls up to the school. I cross the road and walk over to it as he gets out.

"Bye," he says behind him as he gets out. When he completely stands up I see what he's wearing: black boots that go almost up to his knees, blue pants and a formal blue and white shirt with golden buttons. He also has a white cape-like thing attached to his shirt. Adrien looks stunning.

"Wow," he says stunningly. He looks me up and down as the car drives away "You look absolutely beautiful" I blush.

"No, Adrien" I protest "You look better than I do" I smile. He giggles and takes my hand.

"Shall we?" he asks gesturing to the school door. I smile even more and nod. We walk in and immediately spot Chloè, and it's pretty obvious she spots Adrien because she turns her head to the door and sees us. Chloè starts to walk towards us.

"Oh, no" I whisper to myself "Total brat at 12 o'clock," I say to Adrien, he looks at Chloè and nods.

"Let's get out of here," he says. I nod, and he pulls me through the crowd, over to the punch. He pours some punch into a cup and offers it to me.

"No. Thanks" I smile "I'm not really thirsty at the moment" he laughs.

"If you say so" he smiles at me and drinks the punch. Now that we've had time to stand still, I get a chance to look around. I see some fantastic dresses and suits. Beautiful colours fill the place with an excellent atmosphere. It seems nice.

"Shall we go to the balcony?" I ask quickly, noticing Chloè getting nearer, even though she doesn't realise it.

"Sure" he puts his cup down. Adrien holds out his arm, and I take it. I smile at him, and we go up to the balcony. We get a perfect view of the dance. I see Chloès lovely dress instantly. Of course, it would look much better on her if she wasn't a complete brat.

"This is nice," I say and lean against the balcony fence.

"Isn't it just" I see him smile out of the corner of my eye. Then, I see him stare at me, but I pretend not to notice.

"Marinette?" he says after a few minutes.

"Yeah?" I turn to face him, and he takes my hands.

"I..." he says embarrassedly. "This is hard for me to say because I've never said it before."

"Just get it over and done with" I smile, trying not to be rude "And it'll be said and done quicker than you think" he nods.

"I..." he takes a deep breath "I love you" I stare at him, amazed that he would even say such a thing... To me, especially. I smile and hug him.

"I love you too" I whisper into his ear, quickly. I think a little too fast, but what's said is said. There's no going back, ever. He pulls away from the hug but leaves his arms around me.

"Would you like to dance?" he smiles, and I smile back at him.

"Of course" I chirp. We both go down the stairs and start dancing. A few twirls here and hugs there. After a while, he does another thing that surprises me. He grabs my hand, puts his hand on my back and pulls me forward. I look up at him, shock written all over my face. He smiles a toothy smile and notice that his teeth are perfect. I smile up at him, and he closes his mouth but keeps smiling. I notice Chloè over by the punch, probably still looking for us. I look back at Adrien ignoring Chloè. I guess Adrien must have seen it too. He does the craziest thing I think he would ever do.


	10. The End!

p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;"Adrien leans in slowly, and I realise what he's about to do. I close my eyes and force myself upwards. Our lips meet, and I start to kiss him properly. I pull away and look up at him, shocked. He smiles at me. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Adrien!" I hear Chloè yell. Now I'm in for it. He takes his hand off of my back, but he keeps holding my hand. We turn towards Chloè as she comes running up to us. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""What do you think you were doing?" she yells at him. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""It was obvious wasn't it?" he says calmly. I know this makes her angrier. "Don't you see?" he asks Chloè "I don't love you" I watch as Chloè's face turns from angry to sad quickly. Adrien turns to me. "I love Marinette." /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""That brat?" she says harshly./span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Stop it" I yell. "The both of you" I let go of Adrien's hand and walk out of the school. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Marinette, wait" Adrien calls from the top of the stairs. He grabs my hand. "I'm sorry."/span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""It's not your fault," I say, not smiling for the first time tonight. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Are you alright?" he asks worriedly./span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Yeah, fine," I say, looking away "Just tired" I pull my hand away "I'll see you at school" I look behind me and see his sad face. I feel sorry for him. I turn back around and face Adrien again. I run up to him and hug him. "I still love you" I whisper "I'm just really tired." /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Ok," he says "Let me escort you home" I pull away and look at him. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Alright" I take his hand, and we walk to my place, which, thankfully, isn't that far./span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""You gonna be alright here?" Adrien asks as soon as we reach the door. I spot my parents in the bakery out of the corner of my eye. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Yeah, I should be fine here" I smile "I don't want em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"them/em" - I gesture to my parents - "going crazy because we've gotten together."/span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Alright," he nods "I'll see you at school." /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Bye," I whisper. Before he goes, Adrien swoops down and gives me a quick kiss. Before I have time to react, the kiss is gone and so is Adrien. I smile to myself and walk inside. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Have a nice time, dear?" my dad asks. I smile at him./span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Wonderful," I say and walk up to my room. I get changed into my pyjamas and put my dress on the mannequin. I put my gloves in my drawer and let Tikki out of my purse. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""How did it go?" Tikki asks excitedly. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""It went wonderfully," I say as I flop down on my bed tiredly "Except for Chloè, but I fixed it." /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Was Adrien there like he said he would be?" Tikki asks curiously now./span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Tikki," I say "You were there." /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""I know, but the only thing I saw was, well... alright, I saw all of it" she giggles. I laugh quietly and then get into bed properly./span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Goodnight, Tikki" I yawn./span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Goodnight, Marinette" she pats my head, and I fall straight to sleep. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;"In the morning.../span/strong/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;"I get up, ready to do whatever I have to do to defend myself from Chloè. I smile to myself as I prepare for school and think about last night. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Bye, mom" I call as I walk out the door./span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Have a good day at school" she calls back. I smile and walk to school. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Hey, Adrien" I call as I walk up to him. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Hey, Marinette" Adrien and another voice say at the same time. I look behind me and see Alya running up to me. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""How'd it go last night?" she asks as she catches up to Adrien and me./span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""It was great" Adrien smiles at me, and I smile back at him./span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""The only problem was -," I say, but something cuts me off./span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Adrien" Chloè yells from across the yard./span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Her" I finish my sentence dully. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Let me take care of this" Adrien says walking up to Chloè/span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""I'd like to see how this one ends" I giggle. /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Same," Alya says "By the way, you didn't tell me what you gave Adrien for his birthday" /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Oh, well," I say casually "I got him tickets to his favourite band" /span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""Wow, Marinette," Alya says impressively "You sure do think of others before yourself"/span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""But, how could you?" Chloè yells./span/p  
p class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 18.0pt; line-height: 163%;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 163%; background: white; mso-highlight: white;""I think we'd better go and help him" I suggest. Alya nods and we walk up to Adrien./span /p 


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